The present invention relates generally to vacuum cleaners, and more specifically to a vacuum cleaner brushroll having improved cleaning capability.
An example of a vacuum cleaner brushroll and a brushroll mounting assembly is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,272,785 dated Dec. 18, 1993, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The disclosed brushroll mounting assemblies include stub shafts which are fixed in the ends of the brushroll spindle, bearings which have their inner races press fitted on the projecting ends of the stub shafts, and outer end members, e.g. end caps, that receive the outer races of the bearings and serve as a means for mounting the brushroll in the mouth of the vacuum cleaner nozzle.
Certain prior art brushrolls include metal ferrules that embrace the outer ends of the spindle. In a typical construction, the stub shafts extend through center openings of the ferrules into the spindle ends. The metal ferrules can have expanded end openings that receive projecting portions of the end caps in order to guard against threads and dirt entering the bearings.
Conventional brushroll spindles have a pulley belt drive surface near one end and carry rows of bristle tufts which agitate the carpet to loosen the dirt as the brushroll is rotated. Typically, the rows of bristle tufts terminate inwardly of the ends of a brushroll spindle. This is particularly true in the case of brushrolls which have metal ferrules, since they cannot be drilled with conventional wood drills to permit tufting at the ends of the spindle. Thus, a brushroll with metal ferrules at its ends necessarily has poor edge cleaning capability and a cleaning path no longer than the length of the spindle.
The invention is a new and improved vacuum cleaner brushroll having bristle tufts that are angled outwardly to extend beyond the ends of the brushroll spindle. These angled end tufts widen the normal cleaning path of the brushroll, provide improved edge cleaning capability, and enhance the overall cleaning characteristic of the brushroll.
In the disclosed embodiments, a sleeve is press fitted over each end of the brushroll spindle. The sleeves are made of plastic or other material that can be drilled with a conventional wood drill to form angled tuft holes very near the ends of the spindle. The sleeves prevent cracking or splitting of the spindle ends when they are drilled. The angled end tufts are fixed in the holes and extend outwardly through the sleeves beyond the ends of the spindle.
Moisture changes in wooden spindles can cause shrinking and swelling of the wood. In many conventional constructions, swelling can result in the pins or stub shafts which mount the spindle bearings from loosening the holes of the spindle, thereby causing brushroll rattle and general unsatisfactory operation. The end sleeves of the present invention avoid this difficulty. As the spindle swells against the sleeves, the wood is compressed to maintain a firm grip on the pins or stub shafts that are fitted in the ends of the spindle.
Another feature of the invention is an end sleeve as described above which includes a co-molded drive pulley that takes the place of the enlarged pulley drive surface heretofore formed as an integral part of the wooden spindle near one end. The pulley that is integrally made with the end sleeve can be of any suitable shape that will coact with the vacuum cleaner drive belt. For example, the pulley may have belt engaging grooves or it may be formed to coact with a timer belt drive.
In one disclosed embodiment, the brushroll further includes one piece plastic ferrules at each end of the brushroll. Each ferrule has a peripheral skirt that embraces the end portion of the adjacent sleeve, a hollow pin that is pressed into the end of the spindle and receives the bearing mounting stub shaft, and a web connecting the pin and skirt.
Still other features, advantages and a fuller understanding of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of the preferred embodiments of the invention and the accompanying drawings.